In this Chapter, Moore is quick to contrast English and French politics pre-democratic era. The French Nobility lived off the peasants in France- they where reliant on the dues collected as opposed to being reliant on noble land like in England. They capitalized on the labor of the peasants and not their LAND. Their main source of income came from peasant dues and not from selling produce. The noble response to commercial agricultrle was also quie weak. The wine trade was internal and everyone produced itall over the country. It was not a resourceful commodity. In addition, their was a preexisting prejeduice that revolved around making money off the farm- royal power did not want nobility to challenge it by creating an independent economic base. To royal delight, landowners kept trying to extract more and more money from peasants. As long as they produced an income, they were usefull to noblemen.
The important thing is, that the fusion between countryside and town was taking place through the crown, not against it which would reap differnt political and ecnomic consequences from England. The main problem was that ecnomic changes that were taking place in France did not move AWAY from feudalism . Also, the sale of offices kept the kind independent from the aristocracy. Agrarian problems persisted but the French monarchy was strongly opposed to modernization- if internal barriers and the legal system would modernize, many things such as the sales of offices and other modes of corruption would have to end. In order for measureable change to exist, a violent end to the old regime would have to take place for a smooth road to democracy to move in. The radicalism that pervaded peasant and bourgeuoise classes was the main reason behind the long time it took to shape a new capatlist democractic system
No comments:
Post a Comment